Port Honduras Marine Reserve

The dominant vegetation type in Port Honduras Marine Reserve is littoral forests, mangroves and seagrasses. The dominant species on the cayes and majority of the mainland is the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). The other species include Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus), White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) and Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans). Seagrass beds are located in many of the shallow water areas close to the coastline and surrounding many of the cayes and are mainly of the species Turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) and Manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme).

The Marine Reserve contains assemblages of regionally important ecosystems of importance for several species of global conservation concern, among them the critically endangered staghorn and elkhorn corals (Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara). The area also protects the endangered green and loggerhead turtles (Chelonia mydas and Caretta caretta), and contributes towards the regional viability of important commercial species, including the queen conch (Strombus gigas) and spiny lobster (Panulirus argus). About seventy fish species were caught in the coastal zone of Port Honduras, almost fourty of which had commercial value.  These fish belonged to mostly the snapper (Lutjanidae), grunt (Haemulidae), parrotfish (Scaridae), and mojarra (Gerreidae) families.  The rest are small or non-palatable species that are usually common in seagrass habitats.  These are anchovies (Engraulidae), pipefishes (Synhnathidae), filefishes (Sciaenidae), small wrasses (Labridae), gobies (Gobiidae), and puffers (Tetraodontidae).